Making Paris interesting for Kaitlyn was a challenge. Especially because, unlike on our other trips, I really didn’t do a whole lot of research. I tossed a copy of Paris with Kids in our suitcase. I had tried to mark some things in it last week, but Kaitlyn took out all my little bookmarks to play with.
She liked the idea of going to see Notre Dame… because it’s where Quasimodo worked. I had to keep emphasizing WORKED. He won’t be there today. That part was nearly a deal-breaker for her. Thank goodness the gargoyles still work there. She was ok with that.
I realized on the walk from the metro to the church just how little prep work I had done. We walked past a building with a line out on the sidewalk… but I couldn’t tell you why on earth anyone would stand and wait to go inside. Normally, I like to think I can at least explain why we aren’t stopping someplace as we walk by.
As we walked up to Notre Dame, Kaitlyn saw people up on top. I want to go up there! It also seemed to be the best place to go for her to get a good look at the gargoyles. Standing where we were she said she couldn’t see them. Again, my lack of preparation caught me off guard. I had no idea how to get up there, or what getting up there would entail.
We stood in a line outside the church which I figured led where we wanted to go. I mean, just finding a queue in France is amazing, so it had to be leading somewhere worth going. Well, it led inside. Kaitlyn was more interested than I thought she would be. Mass started while we were there; she thought she’d watch that for a while. That didn’t last long, though. Can’t really blame her. She liked the candles that were burning on big round holders all around the perimeter walls. What she liked was the idea of blowing them out. So I donated 2 Euros to light a candle so she could do just that. She’d have just stood there blowing the candle out over and over if I’d let her.
We walked through the entire church and bought two coins to commemorate our visit (the first one Bill bought had what Kaitlyn said was the wrong picture on it, so to keep the peace he bought a second). But we still hadn’t found the way up the tower. I was about ready to give in and take out my grown-up tour book that I’d stuffed in my purse when Bill asked someone. Outside to the right. Oh, yea, where that really long line is!
After a bit of indecision, we got in the line. I ran across the street and bought a sandwich that Kaitlyn and I shared (we were both getting grumpy) while we waited and waited and waited. I don’t even want to know how long the wait is in the summer. They let 20 people or so in every 10 minutes. I don’t know how long it took us to get inside… 30 or 45 minutes. And once the wait was over, was I ever sorry. The climb to the top is up 422 narrow, winding steps. So when you get to the top you aren’t just exhausted, you’re also dizzy. And why the people behind you on a climb like that have to be in super shape and desperate to go so fast that they’re happy to nearly climb up your back, I don’t know. After all that work to get up there, I tried to linger, but Kaitlyn was most interested in finding her way back down. We did get her to stop for a minute to look at a bell that Quasimodo could have rung. We also checked out the gargoyles. Later, I asked her if they’d said anything and she said Mom, they don’t really talk! duh.
Back on the ground, we stopped at La Fete du Pain going on in front of the church. I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to put 3 foot tall barrels of flour out. They attracted two groups: smart-ass teenagers who thought it was funny to throw the flour on their friends (and anyone unfortunate enough to be too close) and small children. I wandered off in search of drinks and returned to find Kaitlyn coated in flour. When I’m trying to coat something in flour, it doesn’t stick that well!
After a late lunch we gave Kaitlyn a choice: go back to the hotel for a nap or take a boat ride. It was really a stupid question; she’d never choose to nap.
The tour boat had two seating levels and we all agreed to sit up top. But it didn’t take too long for us to notice what looked like a downpour in the direction we’d be heading so we headed back downstairs to sit in the shelter. Good thing we did. Not too long into the one hour tour, we sailed into a torrential downpour. The inside area quickly became standing room only as tourists who had ignored the clouds came running for cover.
Our timing was lucky and the rain stopped just before the tour did. Kaitlyn requested a carousel ride, and I remembered passing one outside the Louvre (on our tourist-trap-taxi-trip). Just outside the museum grounds, Kaitlyn announced a desperate need to go to the bathroom. I figured a park as big as the one outside the Louvre had to have one… but good luck finding it! Bill and Dad got directions and we rushed toward what looked like relief. We didn’t have high hopes it would even be acceptable, but she wasn’t going to have a choice. It turned out to be one of the cleanest bathrooms I have seen anywhere. There is a little old man who tends to them and obviously takes a great deal of pride in his work. It cost 40 cents to get in. Kaitlyn was free. I saw him refuse to take money from a pregnant woman who needed to go.
As we ran to the bathroom, we passed a huge fountain where kids can sail small wooden boats. Kaitlyn chose that over the carousel ride. Talk about a page out of a storybook. A man rents the boats and sticks to the kids. Two Euros for 30 minutes. His rules: don’t run with the stick and don’t try to get the boat out of the water. For a half hour, one of the classic members of the tv-digital generation was mesmerized by pushing her boat into the fountain, running around to the other side (while I followed carrying the stick), then pushing the boat again.
For dinner, we tried to eat at a tepinyaki grill. Not your typical Parisian choice, but it smelled so good and when we walked inside and saw the shrimp minus their heads and legs (which are usually included when you order them here)… we had to have some. No seats tonight, so we made reservations for tomorrow. Tonight we ended up at an Italian restaurant that’s a chain. Bistro Romain. Unforgettable… because you want to remember not to go back. Our waitress had a rather pungent presence (she overpowered any nearby cheese) and she didn’t understand Dad’s order. He tried to get something not on the menu, by mixing noodles out of one dish with sauce from another. Instead, she brought him two main courses. When we told her that wasn’t right, she had the manager come over to find out why we’d changed our minds. (for once I was glad to have taken Kaitlyn to the bathroom, it meant I missed that conversation)
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Disney store for Kaitlyn. Because we hadn’t done quite enough for her today.